


When It Rains It Pours

by ElisaPhoenix



Series: Supreme Family Chaos [48]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mama Bear Stephen Strange, Nightmares, Other, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Sleepwalking, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange parenting Peter Parker | Supremefamily | Strange Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 13:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19724191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix
Summary: Peter's subconscious asks for help in the worst way.





	When It Rains It Pours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Calliope29](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calliope29/gifts).



Tony had just finished the upgrades to Stephen's new suit (Mystic Guardian Mk.2). It was just as simple as before but this time he had added thrusters into the suit in case of an emergency. There had been times when the sorcerer was caught without Levi, usually when the cloak was left behind if the family went out to eat or something just as mundane, and Tony immediately made note if his error of not adding them in the first place. Portals would be Stephen's only escape and it could have been a problem if his hands cramped up. Now he felt better knowing if that happened and Stephen didn't have Levi, Victor could take over and fly him out of harm's way. 

Thunder rolls loudly outside of the tower and Tony rubs his eyes tiredly as rain pelts viciously against the windows. He had just got back from the lab and was going to get himself a glass of water and check on Peter before heading to bed, and make sure to return Stephen's bracelet to his wrist before going to sleep. He had seriously considered making his family's suits some kind of implants so they couldn't remove it, but figured it was a step too far and they wouldn't go for it anyway. Stephen had enough metal in him anyway.

The engineer gets himself a glass of water and lazily drinks it as he makes his way toward Peter's room, only to freeze when he quietly opens the door and finds the boy's bed empty. "FRIDAY, where's Peter?"  
"On the roof Boss." His AI responds instantly, with what he suspected was a bit of worry in her voice. She really was evolving if she was taking on emotions.  
"What the hell?!" Tony sets his glass of water down on the nearest surface and bolts into the elevator, FRIDAY taking him up without a prompt. "Is he coming back from patrol?"  
"No. I believe he is sleep-walking."

Peter was sleep-walking? In this storm?

Tony's heart pounded as the elevator stopped at the roof and when the doors open, his heart nearly stops. Peter was standing at the edge of the tower looking off to the far distance and just standing there, completely soaked to the bone. The engineer slowly steps forward, keeping his mouth shut because he wasn't sure if calling out for his son would startle the teen and cause him to fall, and slowly raises his hand. If he could get close enough, maybe he could at least yank him away from the edge.

Of course, Peter's spider senses were on high alert because halfway to the teen, the boy looks over his shoulder and Tony shudders at the blank look on his face. There was no expression, just a haunted look in eyes that held no recognition for him, and he could only imagine that Peter was stuck in a nightmare.

"Pete...come here." He says as gently as possible.  
The boy doesn't move though. He instead looks back over the city. "When are Mommy and Daddy coming home?"

Tony knew in an instant that Peter was asking about Richard and Mary. Now that he thought about it, Peter had once told him they left on a stormy night like this and it was probably what triggered this episode. What bothered him was the fact that there had been multiple storms since he and Stephen had adopted the teen, and Peter had never done this before. Maybe he was stressed about something? Maybe that's why he was sleepwalking after all this time?

"Please come here _bambino_." 

Tony was starting to panic now. Peter was practically teetering on the edge of the roof and one false move would send the teen over it. The rain increasing the likelihood of that happening since it made the roof more slippery.

"Would they be mad that I call Mr. Stark and Dr. Strange, Mom and Dad?" The teen whispers just loud enough for Tony to hear over the pouring rain.

Peter had definitely let that thought stew in the back of his mind for a long time.

"No...no...I'm sure they just want you to be happy. Are you happy?"  
"...yeah..." Peter's subconscious responds. That was what Tony was talking to after all.  
"Good. Now why don't you come over here and we can go back inside? We'll get you nice and warm and you'll be even happier. Sound nice?"

Peter stays quiet for a few moments and then nods, pulling a sigh of relief from Tony. It was too soon though. As soon as the teen started to turn so he could step away from the edge and join Tony at a safer part of the roof, he slipped.

Tony, to his credit, reacted instantly. "PETER!" He taps the arc reactor on his shirt as he dives after the boy, and the nanotech covers his body just before he manages to catch his son. He halts in midair just a few feet from the ground and flies back up to the roof where he lands in the center as awareness fills Peter's eyes. He looks around in confusion and grunts in surprise when Tony's suit retracts and the billionaire pulls him into a tight embrace, his heart pounding loudly in the vigilante's ears.  
"Dad?"

Tony only mutters rapidly in Italian, willing his heart to slow down and for his stomach to stop churning. Out of all of the things that Peter had done it gotten into that scared him, this was definitely in the top five, and he couldn't even be mad. Peter wasn't even aware of what just transpired, and although that was a blessing for the teen, it was a curse for Tony. He would be seeing that over and over in his growing collection of nightmares.

"Dad." Peter repeats and Tony pulls away just enough to look him over. "Why are we on the roof? What's going on?"  
The genius decided to only tell half the truth. "You slept walked up here bud. I would really like to get you back inside and warmed up though, alright?"

Peter nods and Tony carefully leads him back onto the elevator, not letting go of the boy's shoulders until they're safely back in the penthouse. He tells the teen to get into some dry clothes and walks into the kitchen when Peter obeys after a small sneeze. Tony was hoping that some hot chocolate would help warm the boy up and keep an impending cold away.

When he finished making the hot drink, he makes his way to Peter's room and knocks quietly, entering when the boy prompts him to. He silently hands over the mug, and Peter chugs it down gratefully as Tony sits on the edge of the bed, sighing happily as the drink did it's job of warming him up.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." Peter finally says after a few minutes of silence.  
"It's not your fault." Tony takes the empty mug and situates the duvet over the teen when he lays down. "Just go back to sleep baby."

If Peter caught the rare nickname, he didn't say anything, and his father was glad. He only ever called the boy that when he was worried or scared, and he didn't want to worry Peter anymore than he already was. He just waited until his son dropped back off into sleep before standing and picking up his glass of water he had abandoned earlier, and leaving the room. He drains the glass in a couple of gulps and dumps both cups in the sink where he holds himself up using the counter and shakily breathes through the panic attack that he had held back. He almost lost Peter and wouldn't have known a thing if FRIDAY hadn't told him. He probably would have slept through the ordeal and found Peter a meaty pancake the next morning.

That thought alone drew a ragged and terrified gasp from him.

"Tony?"

Dark brown wildly meets azure when the engineer looks up from his stare at the countertop, and Stephen quickly steps forward. 

"What happened? Nightmare?" The soft baritone asks.  
Tony shudders. "Almost." 

He ignores his husband's quizzical look and takes him by the hand to lead him back into the master bedroom. Stephen says nothing as they slip into bed after the engineer changes into some dry clothes, Tony pulls the doctor's face into his neck, and eventually goes back to sleep once Tony relaxes a little. The engineer was too wired from the scare to go to sleep, so he just enjoyed the feeling of Stephen's breath on his neck and kept an ear out in case Peter went for another midnight stroll. He was afraid it could happen again since the storm had not let up at all.

When he did fall asleep, it was only after both Stephen and Peter had risen, the rain still coming down and blocking out the morning sun. While their son could be heard putting together a bowl of cereal for breakfast, Tony made sure to lower his voice so Peter couldn't hear their conversation when he finally relayed last night's events to the sorcerer. Stephen just comforted him afterwards with gentle strokes through the engineer's hair, and a promise that he would keep an eye on Peter.

"Get some sleep love."

Tony was so exhausted (physically, mentally, and emotionally), that he didn't even argue. He fell asleep to gentle touches, but they didn't chase away his newest nightmares. Ones that contained awful images because he was too late. He would freeze instead of diving after his son and he couldn't make himself move.

Stephen must have known this would happen because he made the rare decision to enter Tony's dreams without the man's consent. The engineer was grateful though because the nightmares faded and he slept peacefully from then on.

Both parents did eventually sit down with Peter to talk about what happened on the roof that night, and although the teen walked away feeling lighter, and Tony's dreams weren't as frequent, they never truly went away. They never did. If it helped his family though, it was a burden he was more than willing to take on.

What was one more nightmare?


End file.
